Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter is her foray into country music, but this isn't just dirt roads, blue jeans and whiskey. Her country music distills all of American pop: blues, gospel, R&B, soul, house, hip-hop and yes, country. If this ain't country, what is?
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Yesterday
Phoebe Bridgers opens her Moleskine
Many of us keep a journal, but few of us are able to turn our unvarnished thoughts into cultural moments touching on love, death, and guitars quite like Phoebe Bridgers. Her new album Lost Weekend isn’t just throwing the pages of her personal life into song, it’s much more than t ... Show More
36m 27s
Aug 18
We have Confessions to make...
Madonna has returned this summer with Confessions II: an album full of huge hooks, pounding bass, and sincere emotion. It’s the queen of pop's first record in seven years, and serves as a sequel to her 2005 smash hit, Confessions on a Dance Floor. The record ties together threads ... Show More
39m 6s
Aug 11
A piano lesson that will change how you listen (ft. Lang Lang)
For many people – including Charlie and Nate – studying classical piano as a child always felt like a chore. Now, as adults, there’s a newfound appreciation for classical music, but the art form isn’t always accessible. One of the people trying to change that is the world-renowne ... Show More
36m 37s
Apr 2024
'Cowboy Carter' | Every Single Album: Beyoncé
'Cowboy Carter' is here, marking Beyonce's foray into country music—or has she been here all along? Nora and Nathan talk about the breadth of this 27-song album (1:00), the array of influences that Beyoncé pulled from for this project (39:13), and some of their favorite and least ... Show More
1h 48m
Mar 2024
Beyoncé and country’s Black roots
When Beyoncé took the stage at the 2016 Country Music Awards, alongside the Chicks, the racist backlash was immediate.
Eight years later, she alluded to that experience when she announced her new album, Cowboy Carter.
In recent years, we’ve seen some pushback against the genre’ ... Show More
23m 35s
Apr 2024
Does Beyoncé Need Country?
And does Country need Beyoncé? The likely answer to both of those questions is no. But the discussion Beyoncé sparked seems to be the larger point of her new album, Cowboy Carter. Sidney Madden is a reporter for NPR Music, and has delved deep into the intricate dynamics of race, ... Show More
36m 4s
Oct 2021
Country Music Month 2021
Early country music performers, including: Fiddlin John Carson, Billie Maxwell, The Carter Family, Darby and Tarlton, Henry Whitter, Ernest Stoneman, The Skillet Lickers & Jimmie Rodgers. Songs include: Birmingham Jail, The Cowboy Wife, Mule Skinner Blues, Are You Washed In the B ... Show More
39m 46s